Pupils plant wildflowers at Leith Hall

Kirstie Topp

Pupils from more than 13 Aberdeenshire schools have been helping create a wildflower haven at the National Trust for Scotland’s Leith Hall near Huntly.

Over the last few months the rangers and gardeners from the conservation charity have toured 13 local schools - Clatt, Cairnie, Drumblade, Rhynie, Largue, Forgue, Insch, Premnay, Kennethmont, Glass, Ordiquhill, Gartly and Oyne - and engaged with over 300 pupils as part of the project teaching them all about the National Trust for Scotland, Leith Hall, meadows and wildcats in partnership with Scottish Wildcat Action.

The children also sowed their own mini meadows in large seed trays with seed mixes donated by Scotia seeds and they will now watch them grow in their playgrounds.

The wildflower meadow project was made possible thanks to funding from players of People’s Postcode Lottery.

National Trust for Scotland ranger Stephen Reeves said: “At the end of June, this funding will then pay for all the schools to travel to Leith Hall where they will learn all about the amazing wildlife and gardens that we have here before transplanting their mini meadows into our much bigger meadow next to the hall.”

Other local children have been involved too, with the Leith Hall Nature Detectives and Green Action clubs also played their part by sowing wildflower seeds in plug trays ready to plant out between the mini meadows.

It is hoped that the children will then bring their families back to Leith Hall to watch their mini meadows develop over the coming years and that the meadow will become an important resource for pollinators, wildcats and other wildlife.